REV. MR. LADD AT KHARTOUM.
Khartoum, Jan. 9, 1882.
We are in Khartoum at last, and glad to get here after the long Desert journey and the slow sail from Berber. We arrived on Saturday, the 7th, a little after noon. The American Consul came on board to welcome us. He is said to be the richest man in Khartoum, and we found that he had spared himself no trouble and expense in fitting up rooms for our use while here. We are indeed very comfortably situated.
Our arrival seemed to be a great event in the city, and all the prominent people were anxious to be among the first to welcome us. One party of six gentlemen called. They said they had heard that we had come to found schools and churches, that they were delighted at the idea, and hoped that we would commence at once at Khartoum, as their children were suffering for the want of education, there not being a school of any kind in Khartoum. One of them had formerly given a large tract of land for this purpose, but it had not been used; if we would accept it, it was ours now, and we might build upon it as soon as we pleased. There is a report current, which seems to have some foundation in fact, that there have been serious troubles during the last two or three weeks in the vicinity of Fashoda, near the Sobat.
January 11.–Giegler Pasha has just returned from Fashoda, and this is his statement of the present difficulty in the Soudan:
“A fanatical Arab by the name of Mohammad Achmet, who lived upon an island in the Nile, south of here, by his much fasting and praying, finally got his head turned, and believed that he was a prophet, sent to be a Saviour of the people. He wrote letters all around the country, and soon had a large following. Many flocked around his standard, especially from among those disaffected ones who wished to escape the payment of their taxes. They finally became obnoxious to the government, and a detachment of 120 men was sent against them on the island. These were not properly handled and were slain at once, as fast as they landed. The leader now feared to remain longer on the river, and crossing over with all the men, women and children, who had gathered around him, he retired to a mountain, some distance back, called Jebel Geder. It was the policy of the government now to let them alone, but a new Governor of Fashoda having been appointed, he must needs show his zeal by getting after the rebels. He frequently asked permission to attack them, and finally, contrary to orders, he collected the garrisons from the Sobat Station, from Kaka, and from Fashoda, about 400 regular soldiers, and taking with him 200 Shillooks, and other irregulars, under the king or chief of the Shillooks, he marched against the rebels.
“This chief of the Shillooks was a fine young man–loyal and energetic–who administered affairs among his people in the interests of the Government. The advance was made by forced marches. They were six days on the way, and when the ‘fool’ reached the mountain, instead of resting his men, he commenced the attack after a two hours march on the seventh day, when the men were worn out and utterly unfit for it. They were all cut to pieces and slain. About 60 were taken prisoners, and only 70 out of about 600 escaped. The Governor of Fashoda was killed, and also the Chief of the Shillooks, which we greatly regret, as we intended to make him a Pasha. He will be a great loss to us. We wanted to send him to Cairo, as he was anxious to see the Khedive.
“It is difficult to estimate the number of those who have assembled around this fanatical leader, but probably it is in the vicinity of 1,500. We feared that they might take Fashoda, and so I went down to see about it. I have left troops at Fashoda, but the Sobat is abandoned, as there is really nothing there worth saving, except a few straw huts, and they are welcome to them if they want them. The station of Kaka is also left without a garrison. The people have become uneasy, and these events, taken with the news of the troubles at Cairo, have frightened them. We are expecting troops from Cairo, but not to put down this muss, which we hope will all be over before they arrive. We are short of troops at all points, and need more to protect the country. I would not advise you to go by boat. Wait and go by government steamer, if you go at all. I have just returned from Fashoda, and these are about the facts in the case.”
The above statement does not differ materially from the current reports, except in the number of the insurgents, and that has probably been greatly exaggerated in the minds of the people. It must also be remembered that this is the best phase which the government, wishing to smooth the matter over and hush it up, can put upon it. The probable number of the insurgents is about five or six thousand. They are now armed with some 600 Remington rifles, besides their own native weapons, and are complete masters of the country west of Kaka, and towards Kardofan. They are said to have secret agents in Khartoum, who send them word of the movements of the government. Their numbers are also said to be increasing every day. Now, taking into consideration all that has been stated, we seem to be shut up to one of three courses, viz.:
1. To follow the advice of the more timid, and considering our journey necessarily brought to an end, to look about here, learn all that we can, and then to return. This has been suggested as perhaps our only course by some who wish to display “the better part of valor.” I may say that I have all along felt that while things are not as we could wish, that yet a way would be opened for us to go forward. I cannot bring myself to turn around now and go back, without at least seeing the Sobat. We both feel that nothing short of actual danger to life ought to turn us back from our purpose after coming so far, if we can find the means to go on.
2. To wait here till a government steamer is sent up to Gondokoro, take passage in it and see the country as best we can. The most we can learn about this plan is that no steamer is likely to leave here in less than a month; that it will take fifty days to reach Gondokoro, on account of the sud and other obstructions, and that it will not be possible to get away from there before the rainy season sets in. The sud is the great trouble. Sometimes whole weeks have to be spent in the marshes in one spot, cutting a channel through.
3. To get the use of a little steamer in some way and do what we started out to do–explore the region of the Sobat. The least that we can get a steamer for is said to be £12 a day. We cannot expect to be gone less than a month and do the work well. That would be £360.
You can understand, I think, what our perplexity is. Our hope now is to arrange it in some way through Giegler Pasha to get a steamer at a more reasonable sum. As soon as we can do this, I think we shall go on, and if we do, the French Consul, an able French gentleman, and our Consul with others, advise us to ask for a body-guard of soldiers from the government. We need your prayers, and I wish we might have your wisdom in this emergency.